First-in-man implantation of the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve

BACKGROUND: No retrievable and repositionable second generation transcatheter aortic valve is available in China. Here, we report the first-in-man implantation of the retrievable and repositionable VenusA-Plus valve. METHODS: A 76-year-old patient with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and high surgical risk(STS 13.8%) was recommended for transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR) by heart valve team. Type 0 bicuspid aortic valve with asymmetric calcification was identified by dual source computed tomography, and the unfavorable anatomies increased the possibility of malposition and paravalvular leakage during TAVR. Therefore, we used the retrievable and repositionable Venus APlus valve for the patient.RESULTS: Transfemoral TAVR was performed under local anesthesia with sedation, and a 26-mm VenusA-Plus valve was successfully implanted. No transvalvular pressure gradient and trace paravalvular leakage were found. CONCLUSION: The successful first-in-man implantation indicates the retrievable and repositionable Venus A-Plus valve is feasible in complicated TAVR cases such as bicuspid aortic valve.

Acute iatrogenic Budd-Chiari syndrome following hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis:A report of two cases

Budd-Chiari syndrome(BCS)is defined as hepatic venous outflow obstruction at any level from the small hepatic veins to the junction of the inferior vena cava(IVC)and the right atrium,regardless of the cause of obstruction.We present two cases of acute iatrogenic BCS and our clinical management of these cases.The first case was a 43-year-old woman who developed acute BCS following the implantation of an IVC stent for the correction of stenosis in the IVC after hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis.The second case was a61-year-old woman with complete obstruction of the outflow of hepatic veins during bilateral hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis.Acute iatrogenic BCS should be con-sidered a rare complication following hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis.Awareness of potential hepatic outflow obstructions and timely management are critical to avoid poor outcomes when performing hepatectomy for hepatolithiasis.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation in patients with a severe stenotic bicuspid aortic valve in a Chinese population

Objective： The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter aortic valve implantation （TAVI） in patients with a severe stenotic bicuspid aortic valve （BAV） in a Chinese population. While several groups have reported the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TAVI for patients with a BAV, worldwide experience of the technique is still limited, especially in China. Methods： From March 2013 to November 2014, high surgical risk or inoperable patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis （AS） who had undergone TAVI at our institution were selected for inclusion in our study. Results were compared between a BAV group and a tricuspid aortic valve （TAV） group. Results： Forty patients were included in this study, 15 （37.5%） of whom were identified as having a BAV. In the BAV group, the aortic valve area was smaller （（0.47±0.13） vs. （0.59±0.14） cm2）, the ascending aortic diameter was larger （（40.4±4.4） vs. （36.4±4.3） mm）, and the concomitant aortic regurgitation was lower. No significant differences were found between the groups in the other baseline characteristics. No differences were observed either in the choice of access or valve size. The procedural success achieved in this study was 100%. There were no differences between groups in device success （86.7% vs. 88.0%）, 30-d mortality （6.7% vs. 8.0%）, or 30-d combined end point （13.3% vs. 12.0%）. The incidences of new pacemaker implantation, paravalvular regurgitation and other complications, recovery of left ventricle ejection fraction and heart function were similar in both groups. Conclusions： Patients with a severely stenotic BAV can be treated with TAVI, and their condition after treatment should be similar to that of people with a TAV.

Anterolateral minithoracotomy versus median sternotomy for mitral valve disease: a meta-analysis

Objective： Mitral valve disease tends to be treated with anterolateral minithoracotomy （ALMT） rather than median stemotomy （MS）, as ALMT uses progressively smaller incisions to promote better cosmetic outcomes. This meta-analysis quantifies the effects of ALMT on surgical parameters and post-operative outcomes compared with MS. Methods： One randomized controlled study and four case-control studies, published in English from January 1996 to January 2013, were identified and evaluated. Results： ALMT showed a significantly longer cardiopulmonary bypass time （P=0.001） and aortic cross-clamp time （P=0.05） compared with MS. However, the benefits of ALMT were evident as demonstrated by a shorter length of hospital stay （P〈0.00001）. According to operative complications, the onset of new arrhythmias following ALMT decreased significantly as compared with MS （P=0.05）; however, the incidence of peri-operative mortality （P=0.62）, re-operation for bleeding （P=0.37）, neurologic events （P=0.77）, myocardial infarction （P=0.84）, gastrointestinal complications （P=0.89）, and renal insufficiency （P=0.67） were similar to these of MS. Long-term follow-up data were also examined, and revealed equivalent survival and freedom from mitral valve events. Conclusions： Current clinical data suggest that ALMT is a safe and effective alternative to the conventional approach and is associated with better short-term outcomes and a trend towards longer survival.